Not Your Shadow
by XToxicX
Summary: Soon, Maria. We're almost there... Soon this world will perish, and it will all have been worth it. I will not fail you again. They will all pay for what they've done, just like I promised you... And no one will make me break that promise. *AU.*
1. Chapter 1

His cold resolve was what truly pushed him forth to the chamber of the flame, its resting place, its sanctuary… The pleasant smile on his face would have warranted fear in the eyes of innocents had they any clue on what he was doing. He was content, eager, but at the same time, composed and patient. It would come soon… soon, it would all be worth it.

"…I have returned."

He spoke suddenly with a firm tone of voice, though there was a touch of arrogance within it. Ascending the stairs, he remained silent, until he came to a gentle stop, a few steps away from a brilliant light at the other side of the room. His calm, but wry smile, made itself known still, as he looked across to a flickering flame, sat on a pedestal, waiting, watching…

"I am overjoyed," the flame responded, dancing excitedly.

"You certainly know how to express it," the being remarked, looking amused at its enthusiasm. His hands dove into the depths of his quills, searching for something.

"How was your journey?" the flame queried, a tad curious. Not a scratch… seemingly.

"Met with obstacles," he replied curtly, slight irritation flashing in his eyes briefly. "The point is, I achieved my objective. They are within my grasp…"

"They?"

The flame was mildly confused. The last time they had spoken, he had only mentioned one gem, capable of granting wishes of those with a desire dearest to their very souls. But they? This connotation it had composed now, it consisted not of one, single emerald… but several. The question that would have followed would have been: 'How many?'

The flame chose not to question such things. It trusted he would have the required amount to ensure it didn't disappear from this world…

* * *

 _No one would come here…_

The first time he had entered the corridors, the flame had felt a sense of insecurity, soon overridden by its own inquisitiveness of this new being. It watched silently, desperately trying to calm its jittery movements to observe the being without complications. It stared in awe as he ascended the stairs, looking around with a gaze of intrigue of his own. His footsteps, that echoed so gently around the room, eventually grew louder and louder, until…

"…huh?"

Red eyes settled on the flame, and the flame's jumpy attitude ceased, as nonchalant deer would in headlights. The flame scanned him, searched every portion of his body, taking in his sombre appearance. Black, the creature was; his bore spikes that went upwards, had ears, had red rims to several appendages, 'spikes', and the corner of his eyes; his skin was tanned; a section of his chest was of a fluffy nature; he wore shoes that were strange even in the eyes of men, and finally, there were the significant rings around his wrists and ankles.

The flame was intrigued by the being. It was something new from what it usually saw. It was something refreshing, something _living_. Its capability of omniscience taught it things about humanity, but even that had a limit, and certainly was nowhere near in invoking such an experience with a real being.

Both stared at each other, both locked in frozen interest at the views of their respective oddities.

"A flame…?" the hedgehog questioned, looking baffled. It was light, and just flickering lightly in the shade of the tent-like structure.

"You… you are living, correct? You are one of those...?" The flame trailed off, seemingly trying to think of the word. It had never seen an organic being, before… only within its perception.

"I'm not of this Earth…" the being cut in before the other's thought could surface.

"Not of this Earth?" the flame repeated, seemingly allowing those words to sink in… It formed a statement of fascination. "…how… _interesting_."

"Is it?" the black hedgehog asked, raising an eye ridge and folding his arms.

"Yes, yes, of course," the flame responded, flickering excitedly. "Your abilities… they cannot be the same as the ones of this world, can they?"

Its companion was silent for a few seconds, until he spoke once again.

"…no, they're not. I'm the Ultimate Lifeform… something unlike the rest of the… world," he muttered, his eyes drifting to the green crystals that littered the room. His gaze was cold, bitter… something that the flame labelled as indescribable. It had no idea how he was feeling… "And… what of you?"

"…hm?"

The flame was surprised at this question, though was quite happy it was asked.

"I am… something akin to that, I suppose… This realm…" The flame was hesitant. "…In a way, I rule over it…"

"And yet… with all this might, you're hidden away from plain sight?" The Ultimate Lifeform queried, seeming sceptical.

"That much is true… but it's something I revel in." The flame burned brighter, but that brightness died down rather quickly. "Gazing from afar… to all those who know me…"

The being knew not of what this burning light was speaking…

"I don't know of you."

"Nor do I, you."

The visitor stared briefly, before its gaze moved back to the flame.

"Shadow. Shadow the Hedgehog."

The flame was silent for a few moments, then it decided to grace the being with an answer. "Greetings, Shadow… I am what is known as Solaris, the Flame of Hope. Lord of the sun, of time…"

"Time?" was what caught the hedgehog's interest.

"I suppose… that is what's most interesting, isn't it? How humanity grew… how it prevailed…"

" _Prevailed_?" Shadow's tone was in disbelief as it was disgust.

The flame seemed surprised at the difference in opinion. "You disagree?"

"…" He looked to the side with a guilty expression. "Not completely…"

 ** _She_** _wasn't like them…_

"Hm. Humanity makes mistakes, yes… but the hope I embody to them is… 'not for show'," Solaris replied optimistically, its voice confident.

"…"

Shadow did not agree. Fifty years ago, he had not agreed. Three months ago, he had not agreed. And he still did not agree now.

Humanity was unforgiveable. Humanity ripped away everything he loved. Humanity deserved nothing more than destruction… The destruction that Shadow had promised her…

"Now, of your abilities… you did not describe them in detail…"

"I don't need to," Shadow replied bluntly, looking to the side and still slightly sour from their disagreement earlier. "Just know I'm capable of many things…"

Solaris seemed to be pondering something. "Could I… ask for… assistance, perhaps? Yes, this is your first visit… it's so rude of me… but it's… _urgent_."

"Urgent?"

The black hedgehog's ears perked in interest.

"My life is fading… I burn less and less each day… I have been here for so long… Watched so many rises of the sun… I fear my _time_ here is ending…" Solaris chuckled slightly. " _How ironic fate can be_ …"

Shadow blinked. "And?"

"I don't want to go."

Shadow looked at it questionably.

"You wish to defy your own extinguishment?" he asked, furrowing his brow.

"This world… there's so much more to it than a slab of earth… And… I wish to continue watching it, even if it means residing here for eternity…" Solaris mused in fascination. "I wish to extend my life."

Shadow eyed the flame with slight surprise. This was such a pleasant point of view…

…there was no way he could ever accept such a viewpoint.

But…

"If I helped you…?" Shadow queried, feigning interest for information.

"My life… It's upheld by Chaos Energy… There are gems of such an energy, correct?" Solaris queried. "I require their energy… only from one, sole emerald…"

Shadow seemed… curious.

"Why? Why not more…?"

"I have a form that's… very much unstable. Having too much energy would trigger that… It would bring havoc to the world, cause destruction… And I dearly wish to stay away from that… The world I reside does not deserve such treatment…"

 _…it does._

"And if you were to come in contact with all seven…?" Shadow asked, focusing on the flame.

"…! You must not!" the flame spat anxiously, flickering violently and worried. "If any harm would come to this world, from my doing, I would not forgive myself!"

Shadow stared at it blankly, then gave a friendly smile. This feature was uncharacteristic on _his_ face, but Solaris knew little of him…

"Don't worry."

He turned around, then made to descend the stairs.

"I _promise…_ I'll make _everything better_."

As he reached the bottom, his back turned, he smirked menacingly as the naïve little flame took his words to heart…

* * *

"…Shadow, what is this?!" the flame expressed immediate fear at seeing the seven Chaos Emeralds floating around the hedgehog, ready and willing to 'help'…

"…hm? Is something wrong, _Solaris_?" Shadow asked pleasantly, smiling at him.

"I explicitly told you not to bring this many!" the flame whimpered. "Th-this world…"

"…will burn as it should," Shadow finished ominously. "I failed once. I won't fail again…"

"Wh-what?" Solaris trembled and flickered as the hedgehog approached. "N-no! Stay away!"

"Shhh… I'm trying to help you…" Shadow whispered, no longer able to hide his smirk.

"NO! N-no, you're not! Stay back! I will not allow yo—ack…?!"

Shadow watched in awe as the emeralds moved to their own accord… They were no longer circling the black hedgehog, but the flame itself, and they were progressively growing brighter and brighter. He stood back to admire the 'fireworks'.

The flame throttled; it moved more viciously and aggressively, and there was a noise that was the equivalent of whimpering.

"Shadow…!" Solaris cried pathetically, its voice distorted beyond all measure.

The flame could do nothing to resist the ancient gems surrounding it; they were more powerful than its weak being, and were only adding more fuel to the fire. Solaris felt an odd transition approaching, but it tried with every fabric of its being to repel it, avoid it, even if it cost it its life.

The web Shadow had spun was a dangerous one.

He was ultimately unsure of what he witnessed… the room looked odd for a few moments, distorting into a variety of different colours, the crystals around the room glowing bright and then dim. The physical shape of the flame was drifting between many different forms, so obscure that one would not be able to guess what they were.

He had to shield his eyes when the room became too bright for his seeing inceptors, and a moment after he stopped doing so, he felt a strong, hot breeze brush past his skin, almost blistering him.

"Hngh…! Ow!"

He rubbed his cheek, and then his gaze moved, staring to where the flame had once been. The emeralds, far past their useby date, suddenly shot in several directions, away from the room and out of the ruins.

Something was on the floor, dark and liquid-like. It remained still for a few moments, before it slithered towards the hedgehog's shade. As Shadow observed, taking a slight step back, he noted the liquid trembling… but trembling with what emotion?

He soon discovered what emotion when his shadow was swallowed hole, the liquid on the floor building up like a tower. And once it had built itself, Shadow found he was looking through a corrupted mirror.

He found himself looking at a pale-blue-schemed doppelganger, whose green, reptilian eyes rolled up slowly to glare at him. Its fists were tense and furious, and it sluggishly took a step towards him. It knew not how to form stable steps, but it tried… and continued trying.

"What…?" Shadow expressed his confusion.

"SHADOW…"

The voice was deep, malicious, so unlike the chirpy voice of the flame he had spoken to earlier. So unlike its cheery or otherwise pathetic nature.

"…YOU… DID THIS…?" the creature hissed angrily as Shadow took a few more steps back. "You… tried… to RUIN THIS WORLD?"

Something formed in its hand… something spherical, and something that was increasing in size.

"Who… who are you…?" Shadow looked baffled. Surely this wasn't the same flame he had spoken to…

The fake hedgehog stared at him eerily.

"Shadow the Hedgehog…" it began, ignoring him. "…after what you have DONE for me…"

It chuckled sinisterly, but then its tone grew grim and unforgiving.

"…I will give you your REWARD."

 _ **WHOOSH!**_

* * *

 **YOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO, hi, everybody! Long time no see! I haven't posted a sole Sonic fanfic in FOREVER! X3**

 **But recently, I came up with an AU idea that I just HAD to write out. X3 I'm still messing with the concepts, so there might be edits here and there, but this is the premise! :D**

 **The other morning, I was trying to think of something unique. And it made me think of all the times Meph popped up as a bad guy in my stories and other stuff. X'D I love him too much, I can't help it!**

 **Anyways, so I thought about his past. If he'd NEVER been experimented on, he wouldn't have turned out like that! He wouldn't have been separated from Iblis, and Shadow wouldn't have had to seal away a scared Mephiles that didn't do anything wrong! He wouldn't have had to live a decade in the Scepter of Darkness, alone, and wouldn't have succumbed to insanity from both that and his hatred of Shadow!**

 **All this spiralled from that one event. In this fic, Solaris' flame was never discovered, but there were numerous legends about it. This means the Duke of Soleanna wouldn't have tried to mess with things beyond his power, and all that wouldn't have happened.**

 **But then I thought about Shadow and Mephiles in regards to character roles… what if they were switched? What if Mephiles was the hero, and Shadow was the antagonist?**

 **This Shadow branches off from the main Sonic timeline in that he failed to recall Maria's true wish. Amy didn't convince him to save the Earth, and as a result, Sonic did it alone, and sacrificed himself to save Earth.**

 **Still certain of his 'destiny', he moves to find a way to make the Earth suffer… and stumbles upon Solaris. And there you go! This fic! X3**

 **Anyway, I hope you like it! Leave a review if you do; I love feedback. :3**

 **Until next chappie!**

 **-Toxic : )**


	2. Chapter 2

As Shadow dodged briskly, he witnessed a pillar behind him fall into a pathetic pile of debris. He blinked in shock, then looked at this figure. He observed it carefully as it stared at him, shaking and visibly angry.

"So… you really are… Solaris…?" he queried, looking quite surprised. This being was a dark variation of itself… such a concept was mind-blowing considering what hopeful light it came from.

"Once," the figure spat venomously, its fists clenching. "I was Solaris once, _Shadow._ "

All that power, that sense of perfection, that feeling of comfort, that warm, comforting part of it... gone. Ripped away from it. Just for the means of the destruction of Earth...

How dare he...

How dare he do this to it?! Solaris?! The world?!

It would never forgive him... never...

"Oh? So, what are you now, hm?" the hedgehog lightly sneered, eyes narrowing at the creature.

 _"Nothing..."_ it hissed under its breath, though it seemed to inwardly hope that its new-found enemy hadn't heard that. No such luck, it seemed, as the ebony and crimson life form seemed to look as if he was in agreement.

Yes. This... new 'Solaris' was nothing to him now. Nothing significant. Something so small and insignifcant couldn't play a part in his plan, regardless of its image...

So... when something was beyond use, beyond this sick twist in redemption, what could one do?

He contemplated this, briefly, as he continued his questioning.

"And…" he began slowly, eyeing and musing over it carefully, "…you took my form…?"

"Only because that was my only source of fabrication!" the copy snapped, taking a strong step forward and lunging its head forward. Its opposition's head carefully moved away from its own, his gaze calm and somewhat irritated.

His eyelids lowered in a dry fashion at its hostility; considering its form and mentality previously, he couldn't take it too seriously...

"I suppose... in some cruel way, there was a choice," he mused, tone suddenly quite bored.

He had a split-second to dodge as another sphere of rattling energy was sent flying his way. However, this time, it didn't just hit a common pillar; it wrecked a whole wall. The aim had been awfully misguided, at least, it would have been if Shadow hadn't been so close, but it had still dealt catastrophic damage.

Its fists tense and its green, reptilian eyes glaring at him in hatred, it let its hand drop slightly, but only slightly, as it took another step inward.

"Oh, believe ME, Shadow... I wish there was a better one!" it growled in response, ears flat and body tensed like a feral animal. "I'll do anything to prevent what you just tried to incite! Even if it is the only doable option. Even if it means going so far as to LOOK like YOU..."

Shadow paused, briefly, then glanced at the wall in ruins, seeming thoughtful. He paid little mind to what his dear 'friend' was saying, and then looked at it casually.

"Might I say... you certainly are ruining the structure of this place." He gestured towards the area around him; it looked very more fragile than before from the dweller's onslaught. His expression seemed fixed in place, suddenly sly and almost satisfied. "This home you claim to love so much..."

It stiffened at this, looking around in shock. It hadn't meant to do that...! To wreck something so sacred to it and the world...!

"...I didn't mean...! AGH!"

Shadow launched a tight fist at its face, which successfully made impact. It sent 'Solaris' flying to the floor, covering it in the dust of the ruins, and leaving a deranged dent in its once-perfect muzzle.

Pointing at his burnt cheek, Shadow leered over it menacingly. "...look. Now we match."

It didn't focus on that.

Once-perfect. It thought of its past self as that. Unity. Safety. What it wouldn't give to have that now...

But this wasn't a simple wish it could make. As it lied pathetically on the floor, looking up in malice at the monster it had once called its friend, the monster it had trusted, the monster it had believed the every word of...

It knew it couldn't ever wish for that.

It couldn't ever hope for its own perfection, when this abomination was out to wreak havoc on its innocent world. Innocent may have been a stretch for the planet, but innocent was also the description for Solaris' mentality.

It knew Shadow wasn't there to help it. And it wouldn't ever let Shadow 'help' it again.

Shadow would die before he made another attempt on this planet.

It was at this point that the god couldn't be innocent anymore. As a deity, it had the responsibility of giving punishment to those that rebelled against it. Having been ever curious in its lifetime, that was the one thing that it would come to realize it had never wanted to be curious about.

Shadow glared down at it, expression almost disappointed. There was a look in his eyes that undermined the creature for all it was worth.

Worth?

It had none. And it had no importance to his cause. Not now.

But, regardless... Shadow was curious himself. There was something bothering him.

"Tell me, _Solaris..._ where _has_ that flame gone?" he asked suddenly, tilting his head. "I see no aspect of it in you..."

It coughed, then chuckled slightly under its breath. "How would you know, Shadow...? Perhaps... it surfaced... in my personality..." it muttered, looking up at him with a malicious expression as it wiped its cheek.

"Well. Anyone would be angry, would they not?" he hummed in response, folding his arms and looking at it with a knowing expression. Then, he bent over, his face awfully close to his comrade's. "...I saw the flame leave, Solaris. And you're going to explain to me exactly why you're trying to hide that."

It glowered at him unforgivingly. "I may seem down, Shadow... but that doesn't mean I am out... it doesn't mean I'll... bend to your... every whim..."

Its words gradually faded more and more apart than before as Shadow straightened, then leaned over it, a foot settled on its chest, and harsh pressure applied.

"...hm. Then, I'll have to make short guesswork of it, will I?" he asked, his expression calm and composed.

In all honesty, this expression, out of many, was the one that scared it the most. It gave no hint as to what he was thinking, but it did give hint to a confident attitude that made it all the more fearful.

"Short guesswork, Shadow?" it hissed in response, eyeing his foot with disgust.

Its fist unclenched, but the other noticed this quickly, and gave a slightly condescending smile. Shadow's own hands formed bolts of light, and arguably a lot quicker than Solaris could form its attacks.

"...I wouldn't risk that."

"..." It begrudgingly allowed its spheres of darkness to dissipate, watching the monster in front of it nod in mocking approval. It hated this person; why was it listening to it?!

It didn't care if it got hurt... right? But this pain... it didn't want to feel it again. It couldn't just laugh it off. It hurt. It really, really hurt...

"Now then," Shadow began, seeming thoughtful, "this reason you don't want me to know about it... it wouldn't happen to correspond with the ideals of the end of this cursed world, would it?"

It couldn't understand why Shadow was doing this... why would you want to do this to a world that did you no harm? Why did the world deserve this?!

"...no," Solaris' tone was unnerving, refusing to cooperate with the black hedgehog.

"I see..." He promptly paused, eyelids low and seeming analysing the god's face. "...or... there's simply some sentimentality, with it being your literal other half?"

"...no, there's none."

"...well, that's certainly a surprise."

Shadow's expression grew grim all of a sudden, applying more pressure to the chest.

"...thank you, Solaris, for answering my questions."

"...! Shadow, what are you-?!"

It had little chance to respond to his thanks as numerous spears of chaos were sent its way, the sender backing up considerably.

"AGH...!"

Having been freed from his compression, it curled up into a ball in attempt to protect itself from the barrage of attacks. Even after it ended, it saw no mercy, even as it helplessly poked its head out of the ball of spikes to see if the nightmare was gone.

But this nightmare would remain; this nightmare would remain until it did something about it.

Shadow smirked slightly. This smirk was the same one he'd pulled the day he had his back turned.

"You're a _terrible liar_ , Solaris. And with that, you've answered so many of my questions."

Inside, Solaris wished that it had a better poker face. A better way to shield the truth from this horrible ultimate lifeform. It wished it had a silver tongue, even if its mouth was non-existent.

Anything to stop him.

He scowled as he kicked the other like a football, a plaything that had no right to its life. It rubbed into the ground, fulfilling the stereotype of what Shadow truly thought of it. Pathetic.

It felt drained. It felt drained from the amount of attacks its body had tried to hurl at Shadow. It felt drained from the amount of attacks that its body had sustained. It felt drained from being ripped apart. It felt drained from being emotionally hurt.

It couldn't possibly do anything now.

Shadow began walking towards the exit of the room.

"...Shadow! Stop!" it couldn't help itself; it tried to appeal to the humanity that Shadow probably didn't have anymore. "I may seem stable, but my other half is not! Yo-you must leave it to me! It do-doesn't know any better, nor will it feel for what it does like I would! It w-will ruin everyone and everything if it is not stopped! It's... it's m-my responsibility, so PLEASE, I beg of you, stay away from it!"

Shadow stopped.

And then, Solaris thought it saw a ray of hope. Was he considering taking back his actions? Was he considering helping it? Was he considering saving the world from its mistake?

"...it seems you've given me the 'final piece to the puzzle'."

He turned around, narrowing his eyes with an almost devillish and calm smile.

"Thank you, Solaris. I know what I need to do now..."

"...!" Solaris felt a surge of anger run through it. "No... NO, YOU WON'T! I w-won't let you...!"

It tried to get up, but collapsed weakly onto the floor. It wasn't used to this body, these new... responsibilities...

"...What kind of obstacle are you?" he asked distastefully, shaking his head. "...whatever the case... it seems you really are the _only_ obstacle... and I've long since defeated that."

With that, he reached the exit, moving to leave through it.

"...don't interfere, Solaris. Or it will be the last thing you ever do."

Looking on in self-hatred, Solaris felt like the task of saving this world was impossible as the Ultimate Abomination left the ruins.

* * *

 **Nooooo, poor Mephiles ;-;**

 **You might notice he hasn't gotten that name yet. ^^" Well, you're a god, fresh from being split in half! You don't really get one, hehe...**

 **But he will get the name we all know him for later on~ Upupupupu...**

 **Throughout the chapter, I had a bunch of fun making a ton of parallels our Mephiles and this one. Probably with Shadow, too.**

 **I mean, SA2 Shadow can be compared to our Mephiles in a lot of ways, so you could probably see lots of traits in here. :3 He DID manipulate Eggman into using the Eclipse Cannon after all, the crafty little thing.**

 **Anyway, I hope you liked this chapter, peeps! :D**

 **Leave a review if you liked it; I do love feedback!**


	3. Chapter 3

It wasn't so sure how long it lied there, like the piece of trash it seemingly was. Like a speck of insignificant dirt on the windshield. Like a plant, dying in the undergrowth of the tall trees.

It hadn't moved, not a muscle, when Shadow had left. It was devoid of hope, devoid of determination, and ultimately, devoid of life. It was ashamed of itself, in more ways than one, and wished it could will that away. It wished it could stand - devoid of pain, rather than the nature of its very existence - and go after that abomination which threatened its peaceful world.

Its world? Of course it was its. It ruled over it; Solaris, god of the sun, of time... and the flame of hope...

But here it was, a flame no more, and hope was a distant dream that didn't seem to be coming back.

Pfft, god? What sort of title was that to it now? That didn't give it pride; it gave it shame. Because a god should have been able to take down this wretched hedgehog; a god should have been able to punish it where it stood; a god should have done what was right.

These things, however... Solaris itself wasn't too used to these responsibilities, especially the ones it had adopted. Stopping its other half, and seeking out the Hell bringer that had once been its friend; whilst one concept seemed far easier than the other, Solaris had difficulty with the second one despite the former being so important.

That hedgehog was one creature; it trusted the world to be able to stop it... but then, this creature, this monstrosity, it wasn't of this Earth, was it...? WOULD they be able to bring his plan to a halt?

Not knowing the answer bothered it; Solaris felt, in a word, empty. It usually heard things, society, its people, and quite often. Now, the voices had stopped. Now, it saw nothing. It'd lost the omnience it had originally always had.

In so little time, Shadow had stripped away everything important to it, and soon to the world.

That look in the other's red orbs at he had looked down at Solaris scornfully, with an expression of disgust... it was at that moment it truly felt pathetic.

 _'This is your best? This is a GOD's best?'_

 _'This is nowhere near my best!'_ It had wanted to yell, to assure Shadow that his doom would soon arrive, that it would stop him before he could do any damage.

But even if it had, what would have followed was humiliation. It would have only invoked further amusement, further disgust, and would have dampened its confidence even further.

As it continued its thoughts of self-loathing and failure, it moved to the true source of its frustration.

Why? Why had Shadow done this?

For fun? To test a god's limit?

Solaris couldn't understand his motives. They were far too confusing to it. Shadow seemed to hate humanity, as it had recalled from an earlier discussion, but for what reason? Humans were fascinating, wonderful, and so innocent all at once...

At least, in its eyes. Of course its opinion would differ from that of an outsider; its own gaze wasn't so focused, and it still had much to learn, as it would soon see. The world was far bigger an oyster than it seemed.

Its train of thought ceased as it picked up incoming sounds, and it immediately pulled itself up right, scrambling to its feet in a defensive stance. However, it had moved too quickly, and it cringed as the pain, although mostly absent, continued its attack on its system.

If it was Shadow, then it had to be ready.

"Ughhhh, bored, bored, booooooreeeed. How long do we have to be here?!" a high-pitched voice echoed in the corridor outside, childish and whiney.

Solaris stared blankly. This wasn't a voice that it recognized… it sounded nothing like Shadow. This fact alone, however, didn't deter him from being cautious. This person could be anybody, and under the possibility of being harmful to its being.

"Quit cryin', ya' brat! That's all you've done the whole way!" a slightly deeper and scratchier voice barked, sounding irritated.

It stiffened at that, realizing that there was more than one person. It felt intimidated by that prospect, afraid… but it tried not to let that bother it too much.

"I'm not crying!" the childish voice lashed back, huffing thereafter. Then, there was the sound of sniffling. "Do ya' want me to cry, Vector?!"

"…! For the love of money, NO, kid!" the other responded quickly, suddenly not aiming for that outcome.

"Hehehe. Okay, then!"

Solaris blinked. If these people were a threat, they certainly didn't sound like it… but who was it to judge?

It thought Shadow had been its best friend.

It contemplated, in this measure of time, calling out to the strangers, curious of their appearances, their lives, and of the world outside of its own. It decided against it, but purely for the possibility that it might be a dangerous tactic.

"Espio? How far we got?!" the loud-mouthed voice yelled quickly, sounding impatient. "Our client needs this stuff ASAP!"

"Hold on, it's not far," a much deeper voice growled in slight annoyance. "We just need to get to this opening…"

Solaris' fur stood on end, and it looked around quickly, only just realizing the direction that the voices were heading. The only opening had to be that one ahead of it, correct? So that meant that this group of people were heading right its way!

"This job better be worth it… my shoes are all full of sand!"

"That's not the only thing full of sand either, heheh."

"What does that mean?!"

"Nothing!"

"At least it's not Eggman we're dealing with," the deeper voice pointed out.

"Yeah… you know, it's kinda weird. He's been real quiet lately…"

"It's almost worrying."

And it was then a trio stumbled onto the centre of the Dusty Desert ruins, its walls littered with glittering gems and the architecture aging beyond measure.

Solaris had stumbled behind a pillar, pressing its back against it and hoping it wouldn't be seen by the outsiders. Regardless, it couldn't help trying to peek every so often.

The green crocodile, clad in black shoes, headphones, and a set of chains around his neck, whistled at the sight. "Not a bad place. But where are the…"

His gaze halted at the gems in the room, and immediately, he saw dollar-signs.

"Criminey! Look at all that loot!" He grinned widely, suddenly marching over to it with nothing less than materialistic intentions.

A purple chameleon, who had formerly been in front of the group, sighed at him in exasperation. "We only need two, Vector, not two hundred," he deadpanned, before walking after him and pocketing the device he had been using to track the gems.

"Aw, where's your sense of salesmanship, Espio? This is good stock! Think of all the buyers!" Vector's eyes gleamed at the possibility of piles upon piles of money building up in their detective office.

The ninja shook his head in response, folding his arms and staring at his colleague intently. "No. This place is… sacred. We shouldn't mess with it, Vector, otherwise we'll invoke bad energy."

Vector pouted and rolled his eyes. "Sure, bad energy. Whatever you say." His voice went down to a low grumble, "But I'm still taking one for myself…"

Solaris blinked at these people. They used such strange terminology… but they seemed to be focusing on the gems in the room. It looked down at the floor. This place had been its home. If so much ended up being stripped of it, well, Solaris felt like it wouldn't be home anymore. At least, not like it had used to be.

It would just have to wait until these people had passed, then it would go back to wallowing in its pathetic self-pity before it could rebuild itself again.

It wasn't being incredibly observant, however, to the disappearance of the third creature that had entered the room; the one that had casually wandered off to see far more splendour things than the crocodile's obsession with money.

It waited in the agonizing suspense for the others to leave, but little did it know that one other was right behind it, raring to pounce on his unsuspecting victim.

"Boo!"

"…Agh!" It whirled around, staggering against the pillar and looking at its supposed attacker in terror. Its hand formed a sphere of blackness that was well and willing to take down its opposition.

"Pfft, hahahahahaha!"

It was a bee, wearing a helmet and a jacket, its eyes clenched shut and giggling almost uncontrollably.

"You should've seen your face, pfft, AHAHAHAHAHA!"

Solaris felt something, but it couldn't describe what it was. Its face scrunched up slightly, and its ears flattened against its head, still defensive.

"Who are you?!" it demanded quickly, narrowing its eyes at the small creature.

The boy ceased his laughter immediately, and then blinked at the demi-god blankly. Then, as his gaze moved, he noted the rattling orb of energy in the palm of its hand, aiming directly for him.

Trembling slightly, he swallowed and responded, "Ch-Charmy. Charmy Bee, s-sir."

"…" Solaris stared at him hard, seemingly trying to decipher something from his expression. He looked afraid, it could tell, so perhaps force wasn't the best idea…

Lowering its hand, it looked to the side, almost in an apologetic manner.

"You startled me. Would it be too much to ask if you didn't do so again?" It looked back at the child with an imploring gaze. "I don't want to accidentally hurt someone…"

Charmy didn't seem to be concentrating on its words too much; his eyes were on the being's muzzle, as something about it puzzled him. He absorbed what Solaris had told him, but at the same time, it just drifted as a topic all together, because the recent one seemed much more pressing.

"Hey, mister. Why don't ya' have a mouth?" he asked curiously, looking quite closely at the hedgehog's muzzle. He poked at it gently, then looked at Solaris for answers.

"…a mouth?" Solaris questioned; what was this…?

"You know, the thing you talk with and eat with, liiiike—" Charmy stretched his mouth open with his hands, showing his teeth and tongue. "—ISSSSS!"

Solaris paused, briefly, then felt its muzzle.

Shadow had a mouth as well, now that it thought about it, but why didn't it…? This was… confusing.

"Charmy?! Where are ya'? We're leaving! Maybe leaving you behind!" Vector called from the entrance.

Charmy huffed, cheeks turning from normal to puffy in less than a few seconds. "HEY, I'M COMING! HOLD ON, OKAY?!" He looked at Solaris quickly, then paused. "Hey, is this your house…? Doesn't seem like a really good one…"

Charmy was far from aware that he was being insensitive, but Solaris didn't take it too harshly regardless. The demigod watched the ground briefly.

"It's my home, and it likely always will be…"

"Forever?" Charmy blinked at it, confused at its melancholy attitude. "Well, that's depressing."

"CHARMY!"

"L-look, I really have to go now, okay?" the bee smiled at him sheepishly, pointing at the entrance in a swift fashion.

Solaris had lost focus on reality again.

 _…am I really going to stay here? Am I really going to sit back… and let Shadow ruin this world? Ruin for these beings? Humanity?_

 _I can't do this… I can't just stand by while…_

Its fists were tensed at its sides, and this worried the bee more than his friends leaving him behind.

"Hey, MISTER!" Charmy snapped it out of its thoughts, and it looked at him quietly.

"…y-yes?"

"Come with me!"

"…what?"

Charmy grabbed its hand, almost in an excited manner, and looked at it in reassurance.

"You're all alone here, right? Nothing sucks more than being alone! And, to be honest, you don't seem to find me annoying like Vector or Espio…" Charmy, at this point, was just searching for reasons for it to tag along. As terrifying as it was, its ability was quite the eye-catcher, and it just seemed like a nice person… "…plus, I need a friend! I'm so lonely, stuck in that office! We have to do boring paperwork…"

"Boring paperwork?" Solaris was still musing over the fact that Charmy's hand had interlocked with its own.

"Yeah, it's horrible!" the insect complained. "And… you were really, really cool a few seconds ago! Scary, but cool…"

"Cool? I was cool?" Solaris was just repeating words at this point, almost like a parrot. But these terms both baffled it and fascinated it.

 **"CHARMY, I SWEAR, IF WE HAVE TO LEAVE YOU HERE, WE WON'T!"** Vector's voice boomed from the corridor.

Solaris jumped at the voice, then looked at Charmy almost nervously. The bee waved a dismissive hand, confident it had nothing to worry about.

"He's always like that. Loud-mouthed." His eyes gleamed. "Now come on! It'll be really fun!"

"I'm not so certain th-that—"

It was cut off at the eye power of the bee intensifying to the point that it couldn't possibly say no to him.

Besides…

Getting itself out of this place earlier might be arguably a lot better for it… And push it a lot easier towards stopping Shadow.

Sighing, reluctantly and almost sheepishly, Solaris rephrased its sentence, "I suppose I could—"

"YAAAAYYYYYYY!" the child cheered in victory, as if a fan's football team had just scored a goal. Solaris had little time to react as the bee pulled its arm along, like its will meant nothing in the subject.

"Wa-wait—!"

"I got a friend~ I got a friend~!" he hummed to himself merrily as he dragged Solaris along to the exit of the ruins, eager to get home.

Solaris, despite this uncomfortable situation, found one positive out of it.

It was starting its journey to finally stop Shadow.

* * *

 **Annnnnd there's another chapter done!**

 **Honestly, expect a bunch of bonding from here on out; that's how you guys are gonna' see some of this Mephiles' quirks and stuff. And I guarantee that it will probably be adorable. XD**

 **Originally, I wanted to have Cream be the first bestie, but she has little reason to be here, whereas the Chaotix has. Plus, I wanted to give Charmy some luv. X3**

 **You'll see if their quest is significant later on~**

 **In the mean time, I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for all the follows, favourites, reviews, just feedback! I'm glad you're all enjoying it, and there's more to come~!**

 **'Til next time,**

Toxic : )


	4. Chapter 4

It wasn't sure how to feel as it stared up at the rustic ceiling of the room, blinking as thoughts consumed it but left it all at once. There was comfort in a soft, white object full of feathers, but that comfort could only lend so much, as well as the coat of cotton over it.

So much had happened today and it wasn't necessarily sure how to process it. How would typical beings around it handle the matter…? How did they deal with these inner demons so masterfully? Surely they'd made mistakes before, just as it did…

But after a couple of moments, it realised they probably couldn't understand on the same level that it could. They were lesser beings, not lowest in importance, but they were not gods, not like itself. They couldn't possibly understand its inner turmoil as it was unearthly, far above them. Following that thought, it wasn't sure what to do. It supposed it would have to figure out how to tackle the issue, and thoughts were its forte, and see about solving it. Until then, it would have to settle for staring up at the barren terrain of the roof, which made quiet pitter-pattering noises as dew dribbled down the glass windows.

Sighing sadly, it turned on its side, staring at the door that the owners of this place had left through, even that quirky child that had spoken to him earlier. They had all gone to 'hit the sack', as the rough-voiced one had said, but for them to leave the hedgehog out here all alone lowered its self-esteem a little. Were they scared of it…? It should have been clear that it was harmless, to everyone and everything. If it had been dangerous, the group would have certainly known about it. It supposed if there was one thing to take from this, it was that it had shelter from the outside world. The only shelter it had ever known were the Dusty Desert Ruins… but that wasn't an option now.

No… going back was not an option.

 _ **Creeeeaak…**_

The deity's head immediately jerked upwards at the foreign noise, a noise that was unsettling at this time of day. One hand clutched the pillow tightly for reassurance, whilst the other clenched around the sofa arm, owner looking to the source of the noise like a deer listening for a predator. Its non-existent heart rate sped up as silence followed, but stopped soon after seeing a small figure open the door it had been staring at.

The person was the exact same height as the child that had left the room earlier, the same bright eyed bee who'd complained about having to 'hit the sack' like his peers, wearing his orange colour-schemed pyjamas. And here he was, up, awake, and staring at the creature with curious eyes which soon lit with happiness. He noted the way the other was hugging the pillow, and inwardly felt happy and less self-conscious about his own childish behaviours.

"Charmy?" the being queried, staring with green, confused, reptilian green eyes at the other. The sky's lights shone in its eyes from the window, and the moonlight fell on the insect as he walked towards the other.

It had had thought that Charmy would not have risen, at least not until day had come, but apparently not. He was rebelling, as evidenced by the smile that went from happy to slightly wry in tone. It still had difficulty telling emotions apart, honestly, and wasn't sure whether to be unnerved. The way the line on his face curved reminded it of the way Shadow had smiled at it – the betrayal was still fresh in its mind and Charmy scanned its expression as it felt immediate unease.

"What's up?" he asked cluelessly, that line turning into a confused one and relieving the others worries. It met the child's gaze again after looking away briefly, shaking its head after a second of silence. It believed the explanation unwarranted, and it was afraid that the other would somehow disapprove and leave it just as Shadow had.

"Nothing of importance," it responded, looking down at its hands which had loosened around their respective grips. Placing the pillow back on the sofa's end, the creature sat up, leaving space for the other to sit down if needed, but Charmy stayed where he was. He seemed to dwell on his friend's emotions for a little while, as a silence passed between them that was both deafening and intimidating.

"Are you sure?" he questioned, flying to seat himself beside the hedgehog, looking at it with imploring eyes that begged for the scoop. Curiousity wasn't the only emotion, but concern as well, which seemed to increase as the silence continued. He huffed slightly in response, but only out of frustration, and folded his arms, leaning back against the sofa. "Okay. Fine…"

It looked over at Charmy mournfully, disheartened by the response and heartbroken it didn't want to do anything about it.

"My… apologies," it whispered, its fingers twiddling together nervously. It thought briefly to divert the subject. "Weren't you supposed to be 'hitting the sack'?"

Charmy stiffened immediately, averting his gaze with a guilty expression, face pale and caught-out. "Yeah, but… I couldn't sleep…"

"Sleep?"

This verb confused it. It had an entirely different idea of what Charmy was doing, and…

"Yeah…" Charmy trailed, then stopped. He looked at it in amusement. "You didn't think we were _literally_ hitting sacks, did you?"

"…no," it responded quickly, averting its eyes in the same manner that Charmy had, who only grinned wryly at the other's sudden childishness.

"You're not a good liar, y'know!" His giggles turned into laughter, but he immediately covered his mouth, realizing that he needed to stay quiet unless he wanted Espio or Vector hounding him to go back to sleep.

The demi-God's eyelids lifted in response, seeming to smile at the other's joy despite its lack of a mouth. The gaze was warm, fond even, but with that, doubt clouded the back of its mind. It had felt such joy with Shadow, trust, enjoyment in conversation, but now all that had turned to dust. It supposed that if it truly wanted to make the best of this world, it would have to fix its friendship issues, but how to do that was beyond it.

What was the flaw, exactly? All it had been doing is replaying that scene over and over again in its head, to no avail, just for the sake of inadvertently torturing itself. It couldn't make sense of it. Perhaps someone else could, but it wasn't sure whether to share that information… And mere mortals most likely wouldn't understand…

Ironically, it was former flame of Solaris that didn't understand. Friendship wasn't an easy topic – one couldn't figure out the subject matter in ten minutes. It took time, effort, and understanding, all of which it would soon have but soon lose.

"You're really not," Charmy reiterated suddenly, voice low and almost sad.

"What?" It looked over to him in slight surprise, raising its eye ridges in subtle shock.

"Hey… uh… what happened?"

"Hm?"

The world seemed to tilt as Charmy asked it a question that it would not at all like to answer.

"Y'know, before I met you?" he asked, his eyes looking to meet the unsettling ones of the other which bore no malice, only blankness. "There was something wrong, but… I didn't really ask about it. Kinda rude of me, huh? Or maybe it's rude of me to ask now? I dunno…"

"It doesn't matter," it responded briskly, glaring elsewhere with its arms folded, expression pained at the memory.

"I won't tell anyone," he whined innocently, turning so that he was on his knees on the sofa's cushioning, eyes suddenly increasing in size. It wasn't prepared for that.

It also wasn't prepared to tell anyone about its first experiences in this mortal world. Those experiences started because it was too open about who it was. It was too open, too arrogant, and too naïve. Would it not be a mistake to tell Charmy about its status in the world, its past? Was he even to be trusted? Would he prove to be yet another Shadow who cared little for its well-being despite how much it cared for his?

"I promise!" Charmy blurted, his lip wobbling, but this only uneased it further. It was suddenly reminded of Shadow's promise, and pulled away, curling into the corner of the sofa.

"Apologies."

That's all it seemed to give. It didn't want to open up. It didn't want to get hurt again.

Charmy's expression drooped again, the antennae on the top of his head drooping sadly. He fiddled with the other's blanket, running the smooth cotton between his fingers.

"I see…" he muttered sadly, nodding his head in sorrowful acceptance. "But it's just… you're so sad… and I don't like it when my friends are sad. So if you don't wanna open up to me, that's okay – I can wait. But don't take too long; I get really impatient and I just wanna help you!"

Charmy was on the thin blurred lines between sensitive and insensitive, but at least the worry was there.

"You've just met me."

It stared.

It had just met Shadow. And immediately, its personality changed to how one is with a best friend.

"That shouldn't matter, though. Not really!" Charmy insisted, frowning. "I don't know the world, but I still help save it, y'know what I mean?"

That sentence ran in its mind for a couple of seconds, before the unease in its system fell apart completely. Gone.

Something else consumed it, the warm feeling that had occurred earlier – it came back and suddenly melded with the emotion called understanding. The child was right… strangely. He'd chosen his words correctly, because it had struck a chord with its beliefs.

"I…" It trailed off, its pause thoughtful, until its jade irises moved to glance out of the window, glinting in the moonlight. "…yes… yes, I do."

"Of course you do!" Charmy chirped suddenly, proud that he'd made progress. He suddenly flew up in front of the other, gesturing dramatically and hyperactively. "It's the right thing to do! To care about people, no matter the person!"

Its heart lifted and sunk at the same time, although it was certainly inclined to give into Charmy's pestering after this much communication. Caring… was it really that easy? When one could easily take advantage of it?

"So are you gonna' tell me or not?" Charmy blinked at it, pouting slightly. "You don't have to do this all by yourself. It's actually ten times harder that way!"

He glanced back at the door behind him, grinning wryly.

"Trust me, I know – Team Chaotix is a tough nut to crack, especially when we work together, hehe!" A thought struck him and his face lit up. "Hey… if you tell me, maybe we could make you an official member! Wouldn't that be cool? We can work together all the time, solve mysteries, and stop bad guys! Sounds super cool, right?!"

His attitude seemed forever bright, and prone to change almost instantly, but the deity couldn't help but admire the boy for it. It was glad that its first few steps out into this world hadn't been alone, and that the companion was pleasant, helpful even. At least, that was clear now…

"Yes…" It was an acquaintance with the word now, and its tone grew a tad happier. "Cool."

"Like jeez, I don't even know your name! I gotta know your name! It'll be really inconvenient if we're on a super cool awesome mission and I can't call your name because I don't know it!" He rubbed his chin. "I mean, I could make a nickname, but still…"

"…"

"…well, oka—"

"Solaris."

"Huh?"

It lifted its head, a smile clear in its eyes.

"My name is Solaris." It hesitated, before putting further pride into its words. "Otherwise named the _Flame of Hope_."

Charmy looked on in awe, eyes gleaming, especially at the last part.

"You were named the _Flame of Hope_?"

'Solaris' nodded.

" **And I still am."**

* * *

 **HIIIII THHEEEEREEEE, YA'LL. BET YOU WEREN'T EXPECTING THIS. AN UPDATE AFTER LIKE, A YEAR, WAHOO!**

 **Well, I'm all grown up now – in University as I type this. Sorry for the long wait! Drawing has taken over my soul and writing kinda got thrown out of the window because of it, besides my comics and roleplaying and stuff…**

 **But I've** _ **finally**_ **decided to try and get back into writing and finish my baby projects, including this one!**

 **I hope the wait was worth it, guys! Plot kicks in next chapter, so stay tuned. ;)**

 **Thanks for all the support so far! (3 Leave a review if you've any feedback!**

' **Til next time,**

 **Toxic : )**


	5. Chapter 5

The next morning was… more than a little disorientating.

Solaris was sat on the sofa, looking onwards and staring blankly as chaos and anarchy ruled all around it. Footsteps pounded around the room, papers flew practically everywhere, and it was sure it could hear the sound of things shattering as they were swept aside. There was also the constant shouting and screaming that echoed around the office, though this came from two voices rather than three.

"I thought you had it, Charmy!" the green crocodile, who Solaris could only assume to be Vector, yelled uproariously. He did not seem pleased, not in the slightest, and his tone was more than a little panicked. "You know the client's dropping by today! They need it! And I'm a croc of my word, not some shoddy disappointment!"

Charmy, who was hovering next to him with folded arms, glanced around the wreckage and then looked at Vector wryly. "Are ya' sure?"

Solaris' brow furrowed as the croc growled, swatting a dismissive hand at Charmy but not so close to actually hit him. It wasn't entirely sure what the fuss was about – the bee had told it little on the subject. But had it known, perhaps it would have felt a little offended Vector did not ask to borrow one of its crystals.

"What's so special about a dumb old crystal anyway?" Charmy huffed, raising an eyebrow. Just as Vector lifted his index finger, the bee added, "And money isn't an answer!"

Vector's expression dropped, but he looked on in annoyance, tensing a little. "Well, to me, it is! Look, kid, I don't know what the client needs it for – frankly I don't care! But we need to find it now or we might be losing more than our reputation!"

"I left the room for two minutes. What's happened?" a voice asked in disbelief, and the pair looked to a purple chameleon, paling slightly. They both glanced around the room briefly, before meeting the gold eyed gaze of their resident ninja.

"Uh… redecoration?" Charmy shrugged sheepishly, a bead of sweat dropping down his brow as his fingers crossed behind his back.

From what Solaris knew, this person was calm where the rest of the group was not – it supposed he made sure they didn't cause this sort of thing constantly… at least while he was in the room. Espio, Solaris believed, didn't look taken by his compatriot's excuse.

"You know I won't believe that," the chameleon stated, his expression unimpressed. His gaze shot to Vector, who looked twice as guilty, possibly due to the fact he probably did most of the damage. "You lost the client's item, didn't you, Boss?"

"Ah, y'see, Espio—"

He was about to make an excuse but the ninja's expression grew only further disapproving.

"…yeah, I probably did. But it was Charmy's fault!"

Espio's expression hardened, but then it softened again as he looked around the room at all the carnage. He was pretty sure he had a lot of glass and porcelain to sweep up…

"Now we have more bills than what we started with," Espio stated, sighing tiredly as the pair in front of him rubbed the back of their necks awkwardly. "We have enough as it is without you two wrecking the office."

"Sorry…" Vector and Charmy both apologized in unison, but their gazes snapped to each other to exchange an annoyed glare.

"Let's… just find the item for the client," Espio stated, rubbing his temples. "Or better yet – you both clean up, and I'll find it."

"That's probably the best idea," Vector grumbled reluctantly, eyes darting to the other side of the room.

Solaris caught his gaze and a few seconds seemed to pass before Vector readjusted his headphones and started to pick things up. Charmy hesitated for a moment before moving to pick up untouched objects from the floor.

"So… Charmy," Vector started as Espio left the room once more. "Gotten anything out of him?"

"Who? Solaris?" the bee questioned, tilting his head and squinting slightly at the older one.

"Yeah… 'Solaris'," Vector repeated, rolling his eyes slightly.

"Nothing apart from the name, really," Charmy responded with a shrug. "Quiet as a mouse!"

"Really?" Vector glanced over at Solaris, who stiffened at the hard stare being on its reptilian eyes.

"Why, is there a problem with that, Vector?" Charmy remarked, tone laced with sass.

"Not really. Just could've used some background. That's all."

Solaris wasn't sure how long that minute of staring lasted. Vector's gaze was that of distrust, though it didn't fully understand emotions – it just knew that whatever emotion he was feeling, it wasn't pleasant. There was also the hint of familiarity in the other's gaze, though where that familiarity could have been from would be anyone's guess. Solaris was the first to break the deadlock, looking down at its shoes once more in hope that Vector would stop paying attention.

It suddenly grew alert at a sense of realization. It had told Charmy much more than just its name, something sacred and something that someone would have wanted to boast about. Charmy hadn't, though… he hadn't said a word about its place in the world among everything else…

Glancing up, it noted Charmy looking at him with a grin and wink, before tending back to picking papers off the floor.

Had it the appropriate feature to do so, Solaris would have smiled – it had been stressing over Charmy possibly blurting out the truth and causing more havoc than what was worth. Thankfully, however, that was not the case, and it could breathe easily.

It paused for thought, and came to a conclusion, a positive one.

Perhaps it could trust Charmy. Perhaps, unlike Shadow, it had been the right option… maybe it was okay to ask others for aid, to trust them… but perhaps this theory still needed more time than what had occurred. Charmy was quite secretive among his peers regardless.

After thirty minutes or so of mumbling and bickering, the crocodile and the bee had managed to clean up what they could of the office. Nothing could be done about shattered flower vases, much to Charmy's dismay (who tried to save the latter plants by using the kitchen sink), but the room looked much nicer than it had before. As Solaris had observed the activity, it couldn't have helped feeling guilty that it wasn't doing anything to contribute to the activity, but Vector seemed to disapprove of it so much as touching a couple of papers. It didn't understand; what had it done to warrant such distrust?

Charmy hurtled towards the sofa beside the hedgehog-shaped creature, breathing a sigh of relief as he hit the pillow in what seemed to be overdramatized exhaustion.

"Finally," he groaned, turning on his back and staring at the ceiling. Solaris looked at the child almost fondly, amused but nonetheless happy that the ordeal was over. Or so it had thought…

"Not finally!" Vector exclaimed in annoyance, folding his arms as his gaze rushed around the room. "We're still missin' that crystal!"

"Why don't ya' just give him YOUR crystal?" the bee asked, folding his arms and glaring at the other in annoyance.

Vector seemed momentarily speechless before he huffed in response, looking away.

Charmy grinned wryly. "Oh, lemme' guess: you lost that too."

"Because it doesn't make sense to keep the same things in one pile," Vector replied sarcastically, his eyes narrowing at the younger one in irritation. "I was gonna' take one from the bunch and just give it to the client, like he asked."

"Well, doesn't matter now; we've lost all of 'em," Charmy commented with a shrug. "Sooooo, does that mean we have to go back to the desert now?"

Solaris stiffened slightly at the prospect of going home. While it wanted to flee to its empty sanctuary and leave its responsibilities behind, it could not. It felt even going there would be too tempting for it to pass up. Fortunately that wasn't an option, or at least, Vector deemed so.

"Back to _that_ oven? No thank you!" he growled, his arms by his side once again before his gaze looked back to Solaris. He'd noted the way the visitor had tensed up, and only squinted at the reaction.

Charmy didn't seem to pay this much mind. He was sat up, and his attention was focused on something else, a purple chameleon stood at the door behind them to their sleeping quarters. He was holding a cluster of crystals and looking at the crocodile in a restrained expression of exasperation.

Vector, feeling a glare penetrating his back, turned to meet the gaze of the ninja and his face lit up in relief at seeing he'd been successful in finding the crystals.

"Espio! You found them!" he observed, suddenly thankful for the super power of teamwork. "Where were they?"

Espio's expression grew dry.

"Under your pillow," he said simply.

Vector's face dropped in awkward embarrassment, and he rubbed the back of his scaly neck, looking away. Of course it would have been in the most simple of places, but why didn't Vector look there before, or at least have thought to at any point? It sure did explain why his pillows were more concrete-like than usual, though…

"Huh, so I guess we wrecked the place for nothin', huh, Espio?" Charmy remarked, looking around the room as he twiddled his fingers on his stomach.

"Yes, basically," the chameleon responded, walking towards the detective's desk and setting down the crystals on its centre. He observed the room, briefly, then looked at both Vector and Charmy. "But I suppose you've fixed what you could. Damages don't seem such an eyesore now."

"Crisis averted. Mostly," Vector replied, walking towards the desk and briefly examining the crystals. He made certain they were the very same that they'd picked up the day before, then turned to lean on the desk, staring at the door. "I guess all we do now is wait for that client. He should be here soon…"

"I still don't trust him," Espio muttered, staring elsewhere in thoughtful suspicion.

"I don't trust the guy either, Espio, but we get good dough out of it, so why should it matter?" his boss asked, looking over. "If it turns out to be some horrible life decision, we'll fix it. Simple as."

"Yeah, exactly!" Charmy piqued in with a grin, to which the other smiled at him.

"It seems less of a problem we can fix and more of one that we kick ourselves over," Espio muttered, not seeming to trust Vector's judgement but not voicing himself loud enough to undermine it.

Solaris watched the scene play out with interest, intrigued by the fact that despite disagreements, they were still the tightly-knit team that Charmy had described. Part of it felt joyous at such a thing, whilst the other small part of it felt envy towards the individuals, having never had such a relationship with someone.

"Huh?" Vector blinked at Espio's under-breath comment, looking at him.

"Let's just see, boss," was the final response, before all of their gazes focused on the front door for a rather long time.

That time shattered after twenty minutes, long after Charmy had grown bored of waiting and resorted to pestering his newfound friend about all the things it was unfamiliar of.

The door opened, with an almost noticeable slam, as Vector shot to attention, seeing a cloaked figure stood within the door frame. As the door hit the shelf beside the entrance, knocking its trinkets over, Espio's expression hardened further in suspicion and disapproval.

Fortunately, Vector would be the one talking in this case. It might not have seemed like a smart idea to have a loud-mouthed croc carrying out a deal, but at times he was rather level-headed despite his temper soaring through the roof at everything Charmy said.

Charmy blinked and turned as the figure walked towards the end of the room, their hood shielding their face but their eyes seemingly intent on the crystals on the desk. Briefly, that gaze snapped to look at the child, who reeled slightly towards his friend, much to the confusion of Solaris. The figure stopped in front of Vector, and looked up at him ominously.

Vector was lucky he had his height to make the situation more bearable. Picking up one of the crystals with one hand, he held out his other, looking at the figure expectantly.

"Alright, I got your gem right here. You uphold your end of the bargain, and I'll hand it over."

The figure's brow furrowed almost menacingly, but retrieved a pouch from inside of their cloak, bound by a ring, holding it out to Vector.

"There," the figure muttered.

Grunting slightly, the crocodile took the pouch immediately, before handing over the crystal in his hand. The figure took it abruptly, turning around to examine it, its glow illuminating the face ever so slightly.

Solaris suddenly felt a cold shiver go down its spine at its gaze interlocking with the strange newcomer. Green, reptilian eyes glowered back at its own.

The person was about to leave the office behind, before Vector looked up, having looked into the pouch and counted what was in it.

"Hey, buddy! What do I call you in the files?" he asked casually. "Can you give us a name? Helps with the tax."

The figure stopped, seemingly contemplating the options. Then, after a long silence, he finally spoke.

"My name is Mephiles. Mephiles the Dark."


End file.
